ON THE ISSUE OF GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES OF TOPONYMS IN THE INTERFLUVE OF THE DANUBE AND DNIESTER

Abstract

Toponymic studies are an important tool for exploring the patterns of origin, formation, and development of both individual geographical names and entire toponymic systems or landscapes. The current stage of local self-government development is marked by active and often complex historical and geographical investigations aimed at studying the origin and meaning of toponyms. At the same time, focusing solely on the analysis of a name without considering its spatial context can lead to significant errors. Identifying a geographical object along with its toponym on a map makes it possible to reveal patterns in the location of the object and its spatial connections. Accordingly, one of the fundamental principles of toponymy is the inseparability and interdependence between the toponym and the geographical object to which it refers.This study covers the Ukrainian part of the interfluve between the Danube and the Dniester, which from a geographical perspective represents a toponymic landscape—a systematically formed set of geographical names shaped by the influence of geographical, social, and historical factors.Previous research on the toponymy of the region was primarily based on a historical-linguistic approach. Toponyms were presented in a simple chronological order, while geographical aspects were largely overlooked by researchers.This article presents the results of a study on the geographical patterns of the formation of the toponymic landscape in the interfluve between the Danube and the Dniester. The modern toponyms of the region were largely formed under the influence of natural conditions during the process of land development.Particular attention is paid to the phenomenon of the transfer of geographical names during population migrations, where names were preserved in new locations, provided the natural conditions resembled those of the regions of origin.This publication has been prepared within one of the research directions of the Department of Physical Geography, Environmental Management and Geoinformation Technologies at I. I. Mechnikov Odesa National University: "Anthropogenic changes on the coast of the classical liman type (based on the Black and Azov Seas within Ukraine)".The authors express their gratitude for the interest in the research and welcome comments and suggestions from fellow scholars. We would like to especially acknowledge the significant contributions of M. V. Kazanzhi and A. O. Kostiuk to the study.